What does Handicap 3 Mean in Football?

The handicap 3 in football means a conditional difference in the score between the teams by 3 points before the start of the competition. This market is present in the lines of most sportsbooks and helps to equalize opponents' chances.

Bets on handicap three are accepted by sportsbooks for goals scored, offsides, corners, yellow cards, and other statistical indicators. A standard option is a bet on winning a match or half with a lead of 3 goals.

There are positive and negative handicaps. The markets are designated in the line as: H(+3) and H(-3). Sportsbooks place a negative handicap on tournament leaders a positive handicap on lagging teams.

In football, the handicap (+3) means giving the club a conditional advantage of 3 goals scored at the start of the game. The negative value of the market shows a conditional lagging of the footballers by 3 points.

Professional bettors choose the market after a thorough pre-match analysis to understand how many points can be taken away from the favourite or added to the outsider.

Factors influencing the choice of the H3 market in football:

• meeting of strong clubs with outsiders in cup tournaments - H -3;
• a weak club is capable of resisting its opponent decently - H +3.

The workload and fatigue of the leader and the advantages of a weak opponent in the current game will help you choose a match for a deal.

Experienced players use 2 strategies with H (3) in football.

On the leader with a negative advantage

If a fan is confident that the favorite will win and manage to score at least 4 goals more than the opponent, you can bet on a handicap of minus 3 in football.

Signs of the leading team's state, indicating a possible triumph:

• Motivation to score a large number of points in the tournament;
• Athletes are in good physical shape;
• No substitutions in the lineup;
• Footballers have had time to rest after previous games.

On the underdog with H (+3)

A sportsbook client will profit from the H (-3) bet if the weak team wins, ends the match in a draw, or loses with a difference of 1-2 goals.

When selecting matches, experienced players advise considering factors:

• The presence of staffing problems and injuries among key players on the strong side;
• The underdog's aggressive playing style;
• Weak club's motivation;
• Statistics of opponents' meetings;
• Location of the competition and home support factor.

In the European H (3) game, a player bets on 1 of 3 outcomes: the favourite's victory, the outsider's or a draw. When making a bet on a draw with a handicap, it means the loss of the coupon.

In the Asian version, the "draw" option is not provided, if the score is equal considering the handicap, the sportsbook will refund the money to the client's account.

Example of calculation with the Asian H (+3)

A fan bets 1000 naira on the "Star St. Petersburg" - "Zenith" H1 (+3) match with odds of 2.13.

Calculation options:

• the victory of "Zenit" with a difference of 4 or more goals – the loss of the coupon;
• the visitors' victory with a difference of 3 goals – a refund, payout: 1000 * 1 = 1000 naira;
• The visitors win with a difference of 1–2 points, a draw, and the hosts' win – the user will receive a payout on his account: 1000 * 2.13 = 2130 naira.

Example of calculation with the Asian H (-3)

The user bets 3000 naira on H2 (-3) with odds of 5.90 on the "Star St. Petersburg" – "Paris NN" game.

Calculation options:

• the victory of the hosts, a draw, the victory of "Paris NN" with a difference of 1–2 goals – loss of the bet;
• the visitors' victory with a difference of 3 goals – refund of the bet: 3000 * 1 = 3000 naira;
• a crushing victory of "Paris NN" with a difference of 4 and more points – the coupon wins, payout: 3000 * 5.9 = 17700 naira.